


Big Sister, Little Sister

by LexLemon



Series: I’ll Build a World Around You [4]
Category: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
Genre: Brandy is the Best Girl, Cliff Booth has a heart, Cliff is such a new parent, Cliff loves his girls, Cliff treats Brandy like she’s his kid, Comfort, Crack Treated Seriously, Domestic Fluff, Everyone loves Brandy, Gen, I just love Brandy so much, POV Brandy, Rick is too, Very fluffy, first-time parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexLemon/pseuds/LexLemon
Summary: Brandy’s pretty oblivious to the arrival of Rick and Cliff’s kid. It might take her a while to get it, but she’ll give her all of her love just the same.
Relationships: Brandy & Original Female Character(s), Cliff Booth & Brandy, Cliff Booth/Rick Dalton (Mentioned)
Series: I’ll Build a World Around You [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852639
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	Big Sister, Little Sister

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, I don’t know what this is. I thought of it, really liked it, and went with it. Despite how weird it might be, I hope you like it nonetheless. :)

“ _Why do stars_

_Fall down from the sky_

_Every time_

_You walk by?”_

Brandy stretched herself out on the couch, the music of the radio drifting in her ears as she laid her head on top of her paws. Sure, she didn't know what the singers were saying or what the words meant, but the sound of it was nice. It helped her relax much more than she already had.

Brandy loved lazy days. Lazy days meant her owner would always be home to pet her and the other human would sneak some food to her when her owner wasn't looking. They meant a full house where the love never ended. And what could be better than that?

Brandy hadn't seen much of the two humans that day. She could hear their voices traveling through the air from the end of the hall, usually followed by some loud bangs or clamoring of some kind.

She'd look in the room every now and then, and it almost seemed like they were building some kind of cage. She didn't think it was for her because it was too high up and too small, so she had no idea what it was for. Either way, Brandy's humans never stopped working on it.

This gave her some time to herself, where she could sit in front of the window and let the sunlight stream down on her. The warmth of its light hit her instantly, and she closed her eyes with a soft whine.

She wasn't able to sleep for long because she could hear the soft-shoed footsteps of her owner coming her way. Brandy opened her eyes and let out a happy pant upon seeing Cliff Booth walk her way, his smile stretching from ear to ear. She picked herself up and jumped off the couch, her movement being a signal for him to bend to her level with open arms.

"Hey, you," Cliff said as he pet her, welcoming each one of her eager kisses. "Hello. Oh, someone's happy to see me. Yeah. Hello."

A hearty laugh left his throat as her kisses grew more fervent, causing him to pull back with a smile. "Hey, whoa. Okay, girl. Easy." Cliff took a breath then faced Brandy with a soft gaze, waiting for her to calm down and sit before him.

His hand never stopped running over her hair as he said, "Hey, Brandy, I want to tell you something." Cliff opened his mouth to continue then looked down, shaking his head and running his free hand through his hair. "I don't know why I'm even doing this. It's not going to make a lick of sense to you."

He was right. Brandy wasn't even entirely sure what he was saying just then, but he seemed nervous about something. She didn't like it when Cliff was nervous. It usually meant something bad if he was. And that meant he needed her to cheer up. Well, whatever it was that was bothering him, Brandy was going to stay beside him until he felt better. After all, her job was to be his best friend.

Cliff took a deep breath then looked up at Brandy, keeping his eyes on her as he spoke. "Now I don't know if you figured it out yet, girl, but Rick and I are going to have a baby soon." His eyes started to crinkle as he chuckled. "Yeah. It still doesn't feel real saying it. B-But this is about you. You're going to be a big sister, Brandy. You're going to...have someone new to play with and love. It's going to be great."

Cliff's face grew serious as he pet Brandy's head, her panting stopping as she gave him a blank stare. "But that means a lot of things are going to be different around here. Okay? You're going to have to...be a little quieter and be gentle with the baby. And I might not be able to be with you as much anymore. We can't take as many walks, and I'll have to take care of the baby before you on most days.

“But just because I'll be with the baby more than you doesn't mean I love you any less, alright? You're still my girl. You were my first girl, and I love you so much."

Cliff started petting Brandy's head more rapidly, causing her to lick his cheek again.

"Yeah, I know you love me too. You're still my family, Brandy. We're just getting a little bigger, is all." Cliff shook his head with a sigh. "I don't even know if this got through to you, girl. I just...felt like I had to do it. Okay?"

Brandy continued to give him a blank stare, showing no change from his words. He seemed less nervous than before, though. Maybe she had helped him feel better after all.

Cliff nodded to himself with a smile. "Yeah. Alright."

"Cliff, I n-n-need your help in here!" Rick Dalton said from down the hall.

"I'll be there in a sec!" Cliff gave Brandy one last pet before standing back up. "I'll leave you be, Brandy." He then turned around and made his way back down the hall, disappearing into the room at the end.

Brandy jumped back onto the couch and stared down the hall, a small whine leaving her throat as she laid back down. As she closed her eyes to nap once more, she couldn't help but think that lazy days really were the best.

~

Brandy paced back and forth throughout the living room, the only sound in the house being her paws clopping against the floor. The house had been pretty empty for the past two days. Brandy hadn't seen Rick or the other woman that had started staying with them at all, and Cliff was barely home.

When he was, it was only for a few minutes. He'd feed her, let her outside, give her a few pets, then be back on his way. She didn't understand it at all. One time, he'd hugged her while he pet her and talked to her, and it almost seemed like he was crying. But he was smiling when he did, so they couldn't be sad tears.

Brandy didn't have a clue what was going on, but she was aware of two things. It was her job to guard the house when no one was around, and she really missed Cliff and Rick.

Later on in the day, Brandy could hear the car door shut from outside, which was always a good sign. She let out a quick bark in excitement then sat in the middle of the floor, panting as she faced the front door.

It wasn't long before it opened to reveal Cliff and Rick, the latter holding something white in his arms.

"Here we go," Rick said in a singsong voice. "Welcome h-home, darlin'."

Brandy ran over to Cliff and was close to jumping on him, causing Rick to step to the side.

Cliff bent down and started petting her, but he said in a quiet voice, "Hey, easy, easy, easy. Alright. Hi. Hello, Brandy. I know you missed me. I know. I bet you're hungry too, huh?"

"Hey, I'm goin' to g-g-give her a tour of th-th-the house, alright?"

"Alright."

Rick then disappeared down the hall while Cliff made his way into the kitchen. Brandy sat herself on the adjacent couch and watched as he opened her cans of dog food, her mouth salivating at the sight. She let her tongue loose when she heard the meat _plop_ into her bowl and the kibble being poured on top of it, her tail wagging in anticipation.

Cliff then stepped out of the room and made a clicking noise with his tongue, gesturing his head towards the bowl. Brandy jumped off the couch and ran over to her bowl, devouring every last bite of her food.

Once she had licked it clean for good measure, she turned around to see that Rick had taken her spot on the couch, still holding the white thing. Cliff stood over him and caught her eye, waving at her.

He whispered, "Come here, girl. It's okay."

Brandy slowly walked over to him and sat at the foot of the couch, feeling Cliff bend down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her and watched as Rick moved closer to her, a small smile on his face as he held the white thing towards her. Looking down at it, Brandy cocked her head at the sight, finally seeing what it was.

In Rick's arms was a smaller human, their face more scrunched up and red than Cliff and Rick's. They were sleeping close to Rick's chest and sometimes shook their head, making a small hum as they did.

"Brandy, this is Tracy," Rick said in a quiet voice, keeping his eyes on her. "This is y-your little sister. Yeah. You're a b-b-big sister now."

"You want to say hello, Brandy?" Cliff asked, giving her a pet.

Brandy wanted to give little Tracy a kiss like she would for Cliff, but her face was so much smaller. Would she have room?

She waited until after Tracy let out a yawn, her fathers cooing at the noise. When she was ready, Brandy leaned in and felt her nose twitching before her. She pressed it against Tracy's cheek, finding it soft to the touch, and let the tip of her tongue touch it as well.

Cliff and Rick let out awed noises at the gesture, leading the former to pet her again.

"You're so good," Cliff told her. Turning to Rick, he stood up and added, "I'll be right back."

After Cliff walked away, Rick looked down and switched his gaze between Tracy and Brandy. "Tracy, that was Brandy. Th-That's your big sister. And she loves you already."

Cliff then came back with a Polaroid and bent down before the group, snapping a picture of Brandy looking over at Tracy. "That's perfect," he said. "The best way to start this all off."

Brandy still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but she was starting to like this Tracy. She had a feeling she was going to be around much more too, and she was perfectly fine with that. Brandy's family always seemed like it was growing, and she thought the more the merrier. All it meant was that there would be more love to go around, and she could be a part of it all.

Brandy didn't know Tracy just yet, but she was going to. And she was going to take care of her for the rest of her life.

**Author's Note:**

> Songs referenced:
> 
> “(They Long to Be) Close to You”-The Carpenters: https://youtu.be/iFx-5PGLgb4
> 
> If you’re wondering who “the other woman” that’s referenced is, it’s Francesca. The beginning note of Ready or Not explains how Tracy came to be and where Francesca fits into it.


End file.
